OSX – The Inquisitr Newshttp://www.inquisitr.com
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 13:27:25 +0000en-UShourly1Apple Announces The Slimmest Macbook Ever! Launching April 10, Starts At $1299http://www.inquisitr.com/1910369/apple-slimmest-macbook-launched/
http://www.inquisitr.com/1910369/apple-slimmest-macbook-launched/#respondMon, 09 Mar 2015 18:31:52 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=1910369Apple has announced the new MacBook at the much talked about “Spring Forward” event that is currently underway at The Flint Center For The Performing Arts in San Francisco, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the all new Macbook a little while after he talked about an Apple TV partnership with HBO. The event, like... Read more »

Apple has announced the new MacBook at the much talked about “Spring Forward” event that is currently underway at The Flint Center For The Performing Arts in San Francisco, California. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the all new Macbook a little while after he talked about an Apple TV partnership with HBO. The event, like we said, is still underway and we are expecting a slew of other launches – including the Apple Watch which is the primary focus of this event according to several reports.

As for the new MacBook, here are all the details you need to know about the newest Apple gadget in town.

To start with, the new MacBook is the thinnest notebook ever made by Apple. At just 13.1 mm thick, it makes the current line-up of MacBook Air models look bloated. In fact, it is 24 percent thinner than the 11-inch MacBook Air. The new Macbook is also the lightest MacBook ever and weighs just two pounds! While, the new Macbook has shrunk drastically in size, it still manages to pack in an all-new, full-size keyboard. This keyboard according to Apple, has been “re-engineered from the ground up.” It features what Apple terms a new “butterfly mechanism” that let Apple’s design team make an incredibly thin notebook – even more thin. In fact, the new keyboard assembly on the Macbook is a staggering 40 percent thinner than the ones seen on the MacBook Air models.

The new Macbook comes with a 12-inch, 2304 x 1440 pixel retina display. As expected, this also happens to be the thinnest display that Apple has ever manufactured for a notebook. Apart from the new display, the new Macbook also gets a new trackpad called the Force Touch trackpad. According to Apple, the thing that makes the new trackpad different from others is the fact that it can detect how much pressure you apply on its surface. It can, for example, tell the difference a light tap and a deep press. Apple has a host of new gestures designed to take advantage of the capabilities of the new trackpad.

The thin design of the Macbook also means that it comes with no fan inside. In fact, this is the first ever Fanless Macbook. Powered by the new Intel Core M processor line-up, the processor on the Macbook Air needs just 5 watts of power to fuel itself. Thanks to the new processor, the battery life is also phenomenal on the notebook. How much? How does nine hours of battery life with simple web browsing sound? In fact, with just iTunes being used, the battery life goes up by an hour.

Perhaps the biggest change to the new Macbook over the old ones is the addition of an USB C Port. This is a new connectivity standard that gives one port the ability to act as a power port, USB data transfer port, DisplayPort, HDMI, and a VGA port – all at the same time.

The pricing?

The new Macbook line up starts at $1299 which comes loaded with a 1.1 Ghz processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD. Another variant is also on the offing with a $1599 price tag. This model packs in a 1.2 GHz Intel Core M chip, Intel HD Graphics 5300, 8GB memory, and 512 GB of flash storage.

The new Macbook will go on sale starting April 10! So, are you getting one?

]]>http://www.inquisitr.com/1910369/apple-slimmest-macbook-launched/feed/0Apple Pushes Out A Security Update To All Mac Usershttp://www.inquisitr.com/1699804/apple-push-out-a-security-update-to-all-mac-users/
http://www.inquisitr.com/1699804/apple-push-out-a-security-update-to-all-mac-users/#commentsTue, 23 Dec 2014 14:37:02 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=1699804Mac users may not have noticed, but Apple pushed out a security update yesterday. Users of Apple’s desktop or laptop systems which do not pay attention to their notification center may have missed the fact that their system has been updated. This is because, as reported by the BBC, for the first time Apple applied... Read more »

Mac users may not have noticed, but Apple pushed out a security update yesterday. Users of Apple’s desktop or laptop systems which do not pay attention to their notification center may have missed the fact that their system has been updated. This is because, as reported by the BBC, for the first time Apple applied the update automatically.

In the past, Apple has released security patches through its regular software update system which is only applied through an app store update requiring user approval. The Mac bugs were mentioned in security bulletins issued last week by the Department of Homeland Security and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute.

The vulnerability targets a component of Apple’s OS X operating system called the network time protocol (NTP) which is used for synchronizing clocks on computer systems.

The protocol is a global method of synchronizing time over a network and has previously been exploited by hackers.

“The company decided to deliver the NTP bug fixes with its technology for automatically pushing out security updates, which Apple introduced two years ago but had never previously used, because it wanted to protect customers as quickly as possible due to the severity of the vulnerabilities.” Evans went on to say

“The update is seamless; It doesn’t even require a restart.”

This bug is the latest in a series of security vulnerabilities affecting Apple systems. The Apple systems have traditionally been relatively immune from the type of security breaches and viruses that have plagued generations of Microsoft Windows users. Earlier this year the Telegraph reported that Apple’s iCloud had been subject of a cyber attack. This ultimately lead to embarrassing photographs of celebrities being leaked to the internet.

In November, the Guardian reported that a Swedish computer hacker had identified two vulnerabilities in Apple’s Desktop and mobile operating systems. The first, known as Rootpipe, potentially affected multiple versions of Apple’s Mac OS X, including the newest release, Yosemite. It lets an attacker gain “root” control of a computer. The second Apple vulnerability is known as ‘Wirelurker’ and has been around for some time. Ryan Olson, the intelligence director of Palo Alto Networks, who discovered the malware said

“WireLurker is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in terms of Apple iOS and OS X malware, “The techniques in use suggest that bad actors are getting more sophisticated when it comes to exploiting some of the world’s best-known desktop and mobile platforms.”

In February 2014, a major SSL vulnerability in iOS and OS X and an iOS flaw that allows malicious apps to record touchscreen presses brought a maelstrom of criticism and scrutiny down on Apple.

These latest vulnerabilities are further proof, if anywhere needed, that users of Apple products can no longer be complacent about cyber security.

]]>http://www.inquisitr.com/1699804/apple-push-out-a-security-update-to-all-mac-users/feed/1Want To Hear A Steve Jobs Speech? Use This Easter Egg That’s On Your Mac Right Nowhttp://www.inquisitr.com/1431578/want-to-hear-a-steve-jobs-speech-use-this-easter-egg-thats-on-your-mac-right-now/
http://www.inquisitr.com/1431578/want-to-hear-a-steve-jobs-speech-use-this-easter-egg-thats-on-your-mac-right-now/#respondMon, 25 Aug 2014 03:31:43 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=1431578Tech visionary Steve Jobs’ speeches and interviews are just as inspiring today as they were when they were given. Now, you can check out one of Jobs’ most amazing speeches without having to download anything extra… if you’ve got a Mac, that is. Tech news giant BGR pointed us to a sweet Easter egg find... Read more »

Tech visionary Steve Jobs’ speeches and interviews are just as inspiring today as they were when they were given. Now, you can check out one of Jobs’ most amazing speeches without having to download anything extra… if you’ve got a Mac, that is.

Tech news giant BGRpointed us to a sweet Easter egg find from OS X Daily that shows that Apple has already hidden one of Steve Jobs’ best speeches on your Mac. It takes a bit of doing, but it’s totally worth it.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs may be gone, but his influence lives on, even in Easter eggs within OS X.

The speech in question is Steve Jobs’ commencement address for the graduation ceremony of Stanford’s Class of 2005. In it, Jobs tells three stories from his life. The first involves his biological parents, who eventually gave Jobs up for adoption, paving the way for him to live the life that led to the founding of Apple. The second about love and loss, with Jobs being tossed from the company he founded and loved so well. The third story is Jobs’ take on the diagnosis of the pancreatic cancer that eventually killed him.

The speech is well worth a read, and it gives a look into the mind of a man that has shaped the world more than many others. Apple, the company Jobs founded with Steve Wozniak decades ago, has gone on to become one of the most profitable companies in the world, a firm that has truly changed the way that the world interacts with computers.

Jobs’ influence isn’t just limited to Apple and computers though. The Apple co-founder also served as a guiding light for Pixar, which has made some of the finest films of the past 20 years. Jobs has also had an impact on many other firms, including Nike, the largest shoe company in the world.

Jobs’ impact on the technology segment, though, is virtually unmatched. The iPhone truly moved the smartphone into the mass market category, absolutely upsetting the existing computing paradigm in the process. When Jobs and Apple followed that up with the iPad some years later, Apple took the lead as the undisputed innovation leader in the consumer technology segment.

Jobs was succeeded in his role as CEO by Tim Cook, who did not shy away from the role. Instead of looking to emulate or replace Jobs, Cook has sought to replicate Jobs’ particular genius not with one person, but with several. Apple design chief Jony Ive has taken on a bigger role in the company, while Cook has focused on the particulars of managing supply. After Jobs, Apple also brought in executives from Burberry and other luxury lines in order to handle Apple’s retail operations and other aspects. Most notably, Apple bought Beats Audio this year for $3 billion, bringing in Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. Those latter two have been charged with ensuring Apple never loses one essential element that Jobs always kept in sight: a certain degree of coolness.

]]>http://www.inquisitr.com/1431578/want-to-hear-a-steve-jobs-speech-use-this-easter-egg-thats-on-your-mac-right-now/feed/0Apple Hints At iOS 6, iCloud To Gain Photo And Video Sharing Featureshttp://www.inquisitr.com/237683/apple-hints-at-ios-6-icloud-to-gain-photo-and-video-sharing-features/
http://www.inquisitr.com/237683/apple-hints-at-ios-6-icloud-to-gain-photo-and-video-sharing-features/#commentsWed, 16 May 2012 15:29:33 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=237683A beta version of iCloud for developers has tech enthusiasts looking to iOS 6, the newest version of Apple’s mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad. “Apple is preparing to add Notes and Reminders to iCloud.com, as evidenced by Apple’s iCloud beta test portal for registered developers. The changes popped up on Friday... Read more »

“Apple is preparing to add Notes and Reminders to iCloud.com, as evidenced by Apple’s iCloud beta test portal for registered developers. The changes popped up on Friday morning and developers noticed immediately, taking note of the two new icons that are not currently present on iCloud’s Web interface,” Ars Technica reported.

A Javascript file on the site reads “To use http://beta.icloud.com, first sign in to iCloud with the iOS 6 Beta.” This is Apple’s first “public” mention of iOS 6, which powers all of the technology firm’s touchscreen based mobile devices except the iPod Nano, which shares the look but not the internals of iOS.

Apple is expected to announce iOS 6 at its Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

In addition, Apple is planning on turning iOS’s Photo Stream feature into a picture and video sharing service, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing “people familiar with the matter.”

“The new features, which could be announced at Apple’s world-wide developer conference beginning June 11, will allow iCloud users to share sets of photos with other iCloud users and to comment on them, these people said. Currently, users can store only one set of photos in iCloud through a feature called Photo Stream,” the WSJ reported.

The WSJ claims that the new features will be part of the aforementioned rollout of iOS 6.

]]>http://www.inquisitr.com/237683/apple-hints-at-ios-6-icloud-to-gain-photo-and-video-sharing-features/feed/2Mac Users Beware! OSX Lion Exposes User Passwordshttp://www.inquisitr.com/231400/mac-users-beware-osx-lion-exposes-user-passwords/
http://www.inquisitr.com/231400/mac-users-beware-osx-lion-exposes-user-passwords/#commentsMon, 07 May 2012 13:31:00 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=231400Mac users beware! While Apple’s OSX operating system is usually touted by users for its security and immunity to viruses targeting Microsoft Windows, it is not always as safe as Apple fanboys would like you to think. A new security flaw discovered by researcher David Emry puts your password at risk if you use Apple’s... Read more »

Mac users beware! While Apple’s OSX operating system is usually touted by users for its security and immunity to viruses targeting Microsoft Windows, it is not always as safe as Apple fanboys would like you to think.

A new security flaw discovered by researcher David Emry puts your password at risk if you use Apple’s FileVault encryption app. FileVault, which many Mac owners use to store sensitive data on their computers, encrypts your files in a directory only accessible after entering your secret password.

However, according to Emry, users who had installed FileVault prior to upgrading to OSX system version 10.7.3 are in danger of having their secret files compromised. These users, and potential intruders, “may be able to find their password in a system-wide debug log file, stored in plain text outside of the encrypted area,” Engadget reported.

There is currently no way “to fight the flaw without disabling FileVault, so users rushing to change their password now may find it being logged as well.”

So much for Apple always being more secure than Windows. Though to be fair, it usually is, even if just because it’s not as lucrative a target for hackers and virus makers as Windows PCs.

]]>http://www.inquisitr.com/231400/mac-users-beware-osx-lion-exposes-user-passwords/feed/1Windowed Apps Come To iPad…Finally!http://www.inquisitr.com/228214/windowed-apps-come-to-ipad-finally/
http://www.inquisitr.com/228214/windowed-apps-come-to-ipad-finally/#commentsTue, 01 May 2012 11:38:49 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=228214With the largest App library of any tablet computing platform on the market today, I haven’t found a reason to jailbreak my iPad…until today. Jailbreaking or hacking an iPhone, iPod or iPad to allow the installation of apps that have not been approved by Apple’s App Store curators, is a popular, though risky, endeavor. With... Read more »

With the largest App library of any tablet computing platform on the market today, I haven’t found a reason to jailbreak my iPad…until today. Jailbreaking or hacking an iPhone, iPod or iPad to allow the installation of apps that have not been approved by Apple’s App Store curators, is a popular, though risky, endeavor. With all of the approved apps, I personally have never felt the need to leave Steve Job’s walled garden.

However, with the introduction of Quasar, a $9.99 app available on the alt-app store Cydia, iPad users can finally run multiple apps onscreen at the same time. One of my main gripes with an otherwise wonderful tablet was that I was unable to truly multitask. Many is the time that I wanted to transcribe material from one app to another, looking at my notes on one side of the screen and typing a document on the other.

The advantages to this new app are obvious and the implementation of the multitasking and windows management seems to have been well thought out. There is no word yet on if this app will slow down iPads or even if it will run at all on the first-gen iPad, but all I have to say is that using several small iPhone apps next to each other onscreen seems like the ideal use case. It has always bothered me that when I use an iPhone app on my tablet I have to deal with either pixel doubling or a giant black bezel around my scaled down app. Now I can dispense with that.

The ability to truly multitask on a tablet is the killer app that makes me willing to expose myself to the dangers of malware from unapproved apps.

I only hope that I don’t accidentally brick my iPad when I jailbreak it.

]]>http://www.inquisitr.com/228214/windowed-apps-come-to-ipad-finally/feed/3Apple brings more of the iPad to the Mac with OSX Mountain Lion [video]http://www.inquisitr.com/194846/apple-brings-more-of-the-ipad-to-the-mac-with-osx-mountain-lion/
http://www.inquisitr.com/194846/apple-brings-more-of-the-ipad-to-the-mac-with-osx-mountain-lion/#commentsThu, 16 Feb 2012 16:11:03 +0000http://www.inquisitr.com/?p=194846Apple Inc. has announced its intention to bring even more aspects of its best selling iPad tablet computer (soon coming in an 8″ size?) to the desktop with the sequel to its OSX Lion operating system to be called Mountain Lion. Due to come out this summer and debuted in a video on Apple’s website,... Read more »

Due to come out this summer and debuted in a video on Apple’s website, the version of OSX will contain many features culled from Apple’s iOS mobile operating system which comes on all iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches.

While Microsoft’s new Windows 8 is borrowing too heavily from their mobiles WP7 phone operating system, it seems that Apple is cherry-picking the features it believes will enhance the desktop experience.

Despite some criticism by tech bloggers regarding some features in OSX Lion, such as the lack of visible scroll bars, the OS has largely avoided the anger being directed against Microsoft’s new desktop software.

Among the features being borrowed from the iPhone and iPad are tighter Twitter integration, Notification Center, a desktop version of iOS’s Reminders app which will synch with your phone and tablet via iCloud, a messages app which will allow for free texting between all Apple mobile devices, Macbooks and iMacs and a share button that allows you to send files and “Tweet just about anything.”

A Beta preview of the new Messages app can be found on Apple’s website.

It seems that with the tighter integration with it’s cloud service iCloud Cupertino’s new OS will ensnare Apple fanboy’s even more firmly in the grip of the late Steve Jobs’ technological ecosystem.